The World Above
by CloverKitten06
Summary: Jake Wells has lived in the tunnels his whole life. He loves his father and grandfather, but he feels the urge to explore the world in ways that his father was never able to. There he meets Claire-Ann Titulo daughter of a high profile mob boss. Will they fall in love? Or will their pasts keep them apart? Canon in that Catherine is dead, everything else is AU. Jake/OC paring. R R!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Jake was in one of the many caverns that had been discovered in the tunnels since his grandfather started the community so many years ago. This particular one was his favorite. He could see the sky from here, and the pool under the cliff he was sitting on cast reflections all along the walls. It made him feel peaceful in a way that being in the tunnels never could anymore. He sighed softly and lifted his head to the warmth of the sun. He was young by his father's standards, but at nineteen, Jake thought himself a man. His dark brown hair used to hang in waves, framing his strong yet angular face but now his curls were beside him. The scissors were still in his hands, and he was a little shocked that he actually cut his hair, but at the same time it was a relief. It felt like he was finally cutting his ties with these tunnels. Sure his father would be upset, but he had to let him go sometime. Jake took a breath and brushed the hair into the pool of water and moved to stand.

"Son… What? What are you doing?" Vincent's voice came from behind the boy. Jake didn't even jump; he always knew when his father was close by.

"It's just a haircut, Father." Jake said quietly, turning to face Vincent. A normal person might have been shocked at his father's appearance. Vincent was well over six feet tall with a lion's face and mane. His hands were large and covered in hair that was a dark blonde color. Jake and the other tunnel dwellers never saw Vincent as a monster though. He was their protector, and over the years he had become a leader to all of them. Needless to say, Jake looked more like his mother with the exception of having his father's blue eyes.

Vincent studied his son's new appearance before sighing and moving closer to him. In his mind, Jacob was still just a boy, too young to understand the harshness of the world that he was wanting to enter. Too young to leave his father's side, but deep down he knew that he could not prevent Jacob from leaving for much longer. "It looks nice, Jacob." Vincent said softly, putting a hand on his son's shoulder and giving it a very little shake before putting his hand on Jacob's head and looking into his eyes. "So you've made your choice then?"

Jake sighed a little and put his hand over his father's. He knew this was hard on Vincent and he never liked causing his father pain. "I have. Father, I need to do this. To know the outside world, to explore it. For both of us." Jake removed his father's hand from him and held it in his own. "I want to see the world my mother lived in."

Vincent's eyes flickered with pain as they always did when Jacob's mother was mentioned. He had loved her dearly, and her death tore him apart. The only one that kept him going through those first few years after Catherine's death was Jacob. Vincent closed his eyes and took a deep breath before letting it out slowly. "Jake, the world has changed a lot since your mother lived there." He reminded his son for the thousandth time. "It is more dangerous now."

"I still want to live there, Father." Jake said, cutting his father off as he tightened his grip on his hand. "I feel like I have to. I've seen all there is to see of these tunnels. Nothing has changed since I was a child. It has always been the same and it will always be the same. The world above offers more to me. There's more things to do, more things to see." Jacob pleaded with his voice as well as his eyes. "I can go to a real library; study at a university, I'll be able to see the sky in the day light… I can do that for both of us, Father."

Vincent pulled away from his son and turned his back to hide the anguish that showed in his eyes. It was a pointless gesture though. He knew Jacob could feel his pain as if it were his own, just as Vincent could feel his son's resolve. "Jacob." he said softly. But he was cut off again.

"I've already made arrangements, Father. I'll be staying with Desmond in the city. I have a few applications lined up for schools and Grandfather helped me get all of the paperwork in order. I'm leaving tonight." Jake had to take a breath and he moved his hand through his now short hair. "With or without your blessing."

Jake watched as his father's shoulders tensed up and had to brace himself against the fresh wave of pain that washed over him. Vincent didn't say a word, still facing away from his son and he closed his eyes, while his hands clenched into fists. Slowly though, Vincent started to relax into a slightly defeated position. His son made up his mind and that was all there was to it. Slowly he turned and looked into his son's eyes, but he was still unable to speak.

"I'd rather have it though." Jake said quietly, as he looked back into his father's eyes. "I don't want to leave the city, and I'll come back to visit. I just want to live above for awhile that's all. Please."

Vincent's hand went up that time to silence his son. He still didn't speak for awhile, but eventually he did. "I knew this day was coming, Jacob." Vincent began softly. "And I have been dreading it since you were born." He slowly walked back towards his son and put both of his hands on Jacob's shoulders. "You're growing into a fine man, and it is natural for you to want to leave your home and make your own mark on the world. Just as it is natural for me to want to keep you here so I know that you're safe." He pulled Jacob into a tight hug and put his head on top of his son's. "You have my blessing." Vincent murmured softly. "Just promise me that you will be careful and whenever you want to come home, know that you can."

Jacob hugged his father back tightly and nodded. "I know, Father, and I will." he said quietly. The boy relaxed against his father and took a breath, relief going all through him. "Thank you, Father. Thank you for agreeing to this." Jake didn't want to think about how hurt his father would have been had he just left without saying anything.

Vincent sighed softly and gave a quiet chuckle. "You made up your mind, Son." he murmured against Jacob's hair. "You're like your mother. Once you've set your mind to something, you see it through no matter what."

His son just smiled some and pulled away to look up at his father. "Oh I don't think I get that just from my mother."

"I would have to agree with you, Jacob." A familiar voice said from behind the pair. Vincent smiled some and let go of Jacob to watch his own father. Jacob Wells, the co founder of the tunnel community, stepped out from the shadows leaning on a large walking stick. Gray hair engulfed his head and his goatee, and his face though haggard now still hinted of the strength that once kept a whole community together. Of course he still held a lot of sway and made decisions for the people, it was just Vincent that was the voice now. "Vincent is very hard headed in his own right."

"Please sit down, Father." Vincent said softly as he moved to the elder Jacob's side. "What are you doing down here?"

Jacob allowed Vincent to take him to a nearby boulder and sat down, chuckling softly as he put his hand on Vincent's paw that rested on his shoulder now. "I came to see what you thought of my grandson's decision to leave the tunnels. We both knew this day would come, Vincent."

Vincent nodded in agreement and looked towards the younger Jacob; he looked so different without his hair down to his shoulders. Jake's eyes and face were still the same though. Still so much like his mother that it made Vincent's heart ache to look at him some days. That was hardly his son's fault though and Jake knew that Vincent still loved him dearly. "Jake feels that he is ready to leave us for awhile. That is his right. We've never prevented others from leaving, this time will be no exception." Vincent said. He was slowly coming to terms with his son's choice.

Jake looked so relieved that his father was becoming okay with this. "I still want to leave tonight, Father." he said quietly. "I hope that will still be okay with you."

Vincent nodded. "As I said, it is your right, son." His eyes were still slightly pained even as he said it, but he knew that Jake had a good head on his shoulders and that he would not ignore everything that Vincent taught him. "Will you at least have dinner with us before you go?"

The boy looked a little shocked that his father asked him that. "Of course I will." he said. The plan was always to wait until after one last dinner. If his father and he had another fight like the ten ones before this one, then he would have left in the night and started his new life knowing that his father wasn't pleased with him.

The Beast-Man chuckled a little. "Then let us go." he said and helped his own father up off of the boulder and together three generations of Wells men walked down the tunnel into the main chamber where council meetings were held, and then turned down another tunnel into the chamber that the elder Jacob claimed as his own when the community was first founded. Vincent settled his father into the largest chair before taking his seat to the right and Jake took the seat to the left of his grandfather. It was so familiar to all of them. It had been this way as long as Jake could remember and the idea of leaving at this moment seemed crazy, but in his heart he knew that it was time to go. They spoke of familiar things: theater, music, art, things that were found in the tunnels, favorite books; the list went on and on. Everything was as it should have been, and not for the first time Jake wondered if it would still be like this had his mother lived. He pushed the thought from his mind though lest his father picked up on it. Tonight was going to be enough of a trial for him, Jake didn't want to make things worse.

Dinner was soon done and the dishes were cleared away by Jake and Vincent. "Jake, come here, I want you to have something." The elder Jacob said as he pulled something out of one of his many pockets that he had in his massive fur coat. It was a small black box that looked like it could have held a piece of jewelry. He set it on the table and watched the looks of confusion that passed between his son and grandson, and he couldn't help the smirk that played across his face. "Well are you going to just stand there, Jacob? Or are we going to be here all night?"

Jake kind of jumped and then went back to his seat beside his grandfather, taking the box off of the table and opening it slowly. The confusion on his face only deepened more as he lifted the medallion slowly from the box, studying it the whole time. The pendant itself was silver and had the image of a man carrying what looked like a staff in his hand engraved onto it and the chain that held it was silver also. "Not to sound completely ignorant, Grandfather, but what is it?"

The elder Jacob just chuckled as Vincent moved closer and examined the necklace as well. "It looks like the image of Raphael the Archangel. The Patron Saint of travelers and healers." Vincent said as he looked to his father for confirmation.

Another chuckle came accompanied, this time, by a nod. "Very good, Vincent." Jacob said as he looked at Jake. "Your father is correct. Raphael the Archangel is the Patron Saint of travelers and healers among other things. As you know I have been both in my time." He motioned to the pendant. "That was given to me by my father, as it was given to his father before him and so on. Had things gone differently, I would have given it to your Uncle Devon, but circumstances being what they were, it would have been done in the wrong spirit." Jacob paused as a flash of regret played through his eyes, but it was gone before most would have even noticed it. "I could have given it to Vincent, but given that he's never left the tunnels for an extended period of time, it did not seem prudent." His eyes went to his son's. "I hope you do not take offence."

Vincent shook his head. "Of course not, Father, I would have pointed out the folly myself most likely." Truth be told Vincent was glad that his father was giving Jake the pendant. It would encourage the boy to make a name for himself in the world and give him some sort of protection. At nineteen such a gift would have only encouraged Vincent to be even more reckless than he already was in his youth.

Jacob nodded and looked back to his grandson. "So in light of everything that you were just told, Jake, the pendant falls to you. May it offer you all of the protection you require, and may it guide you safely home should you desire to return."

Jake looked at his grandfather, his father, and then back to his grandfather before placing the chain around his neck and tucking the pendant in his shirt to keep it safe. "Thank you, Grandfather." he said quietly. "Thank you for everything." Jake rose from his seat and went to his grandfather's side, wrapping his arms around the old man's neck in a hug. Jacob placed his hand on the boy's head and ruffled his hair softly. "You're welcome, Jacob." Came the quiet reply before Jake pulled away. Jake looked to his father and took a deep breath. "Well…I'm going to get my stuff now. Walk me out, Dad?"

Vincent smiled some and nodded. "Of course, son." He said softly before following his son to his chamber. Nothing was said really, all their words had been spoken and the ones that had not been were known through their connection. When they reached the Central Park entrance to the tunnels, Jake looked up at his father and almost threw himself into his arms. Vincent wrapped his son in a tight hug as he had done all of Jake's life and they just stood there holding each other for what felt like a century.

"I love you, Dad." Jake said quietly, trying to hold back the frightened tears of the child that was still alive inside of him. "And I promise I'll come home when I can. I won't leave and stay gone, I swear."

Vincent hushed his son and kissed the top of his head. "I know, Jacob." He responded just as quietly. "I know. And while I look forward to the day that you come back to visit, I am glad that you will have opportunities that I could only dream of at your age." Vincent took a breath to steady his own tumultuous emotions. "I'll miss you, my son."

Jake nodded and took a breath of his own, looking his father in the eyes. "I'll miss you too, Father. I won't let you down."

His father smiled through semi pained eyes. "There's no way you could."

The pair shared one last hug before the boy shouldered his bag and turned to walk away from the only home he had ever known, and towards a new future.

Vincent stood there and watched his son walk away until he was out of sight. He sighed and closed his eyes, not able to help but feel a wave of intense agony wash over him. It almost felt like he was losing Catherine all over again. Jacob had been the only thing he had left of her aside from a necklace that he gave Catherine as a gift so long ago. Vincent leaned back against the wall and would have cried out in pain, but he was past such acts now. Besides he was too close to the surface and he didn't want to draw attention. Instead he took another deep breath and made his way back to his Father's chamber.

Jacob sighed softly and took his son's hand as Vincent sat down beside him. "He's gone, Father." Vincent said quietly. "He's gone."

"He will come back to us, Vincent. Jacob gave his word on that." He reassured his son. The old man squeezed his son's paw gently before taking a breath and looking towards the ceiling. An old prayer came unbidden to his mind and soon it escaped his lips. "O God, who in Thy ineffable goodness hast rendered blessed Raphael the conductor of thy faithful in their journeys, we humbly implore Thee that he may be may be conducted by him in the way of salvation, and experience his help in the maladies of his soul. Through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen."

* * *

**The next chapter introduces the OC and her past. Please Read and Review! Thanks guys!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: It was brought to my attention that I got a few details wrong in the first chapter. They have since been corrected and I apologize for making said mistakes in the first place. This chapter is centered around the OC and her backstory. It's much longer than the previous chapter, but hopefully worth it. I just felt that it would be best to know these things about Claire-Ann upfront so you could get in her head. Thank you for the reviews. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 2

Sarah didn't even know what hit her. One second Claire-Ann had been standing there with her fists clenched and face flushed in anger, and the next Sarah was on the ground screaming in agony and fear while her face was being beaten and her hair pulled. Claire-Ann did not give Sarah the chance to fight back; she just kept hitting her and slamming her head into the floor. Blood started to go everywhere and there were people screaming for help, but the enraged girl heard nothing. It was like she was in an odd trance and the other thing she could focus on was the wailing mass of useless flesh that was pinned under her and that had the gall to insult her family.

Claire-Ann Maria Titulo knew all about her father, Markus Titulo, and what he did for a living. On the outside he was just a normal businessman trying to make a buck and provide for his daughter. But appearances were always deceiving. The criminal underground knew Titulo to be a ruthless killer and commander of a small army of criminals. For years the cops couldn't touch him, but the year Claire-Ann turned fifteen all of that changed. Cops came and searched her house, shouting and making her father and people that worked for him get on the ground and put their hands behind their backs. James Sanders, or Uncle Jimmy as Claire-Ann called him, was there and made sure that Claire-Ann didn't actually see her father get dragged away.

The trial was long and traumatizing to Claire-Ann. All her life her father had been her hero, her constant, best friend, protector and now people were calling him a killer and a thief. It was too much for her to take at the time. She didn't eat or sleep. For the whole trial it looked like Claire-Ann was going to just waste away. When her father was declared guilty, Claire-Ann started crying in the courtroom. Then the screaming started. "You promised!" She cried out. "You promised you'd never leave me! You lied! Liar! Liar!" Grief and agony filled the girl, consuming her in a toxic flame that still held sway over her mind at times. Henry O'Connor, her father's right hand man had to grab her to keep her from lunging at her father as he was being dragged away from her. There had been so much chaos in the courtroom that day. Bailiffs shouting, the judge banging his gavel and calling for order. The scene was playing so vividly in Claire-Ann's mind that it was almost like she was back in the courtroom fighting against her uncle Henry to get at her father. Only it wasn't Henry that had his arms around her now.

"Claire-Ann! Claire-Ann, calm down!" Desmond said as he kept his arms firmly around the flailing girl's waist. Despite having successfully gotten her off of Sarah, Claire-Ann was still very much in a blinding rage. Desmond had known Claire-Ann since they were in high school. In all honesty, Desmond always had a crush on her, but after awhile he found someone else and grew content with staying friends. However in all the years Desmond had known Claire-Ann, he had never seen her go this crazy. "C-A, please!" Desmond yelled again, managing to pull Claire-Ann further away from Sarah. "Snap out of it!" He shook her kind of hard and basically pushed her towards a wall and blocked her from being able to get away.

It took Claire-Ann awhile to calm down. Her eyes were wild and her whole body was shaking. Sounds echoed all around her but nothing was really making sense. It was almost like she was underwater now. Even her vision was kind of blurred. She finally closed her eyes and put her hands over her ears while she allowed herself to slide to the ground in front of Desmond. _Slow deep breaths_. She thought to herself. _Just like the shrink told you_. After about five minutes, Claire-Ann slowly opened her eyes and saw Desmond kneeling in front of her, and he wasn't alone.

Jake Wells was beside his friend watching the girl that just moments ago was filled with so much anger and hatred that Jake thought he was going to choke on it all. Never in his life had he felt such a rage. It honestly scared him a little, but only because he thought Claire-Ann was actually going to kill the girl. He stayed quiet while she got herself together and relaxed the anger finally subsided. "You okay?" Jake asked her softly. "Do you need a water or something?"

Claire-Ann shook her head slowly, but she was grateful for the offer none the less. She hadn't known Jake that long, only about a month, but she still thought he was a decent guy; which was weird considering she didn't really trust anyone ever. Jake was different though. Claire-Ann never could figure out why though, and right now that was the last thing on her mind. Sarah's words were still ringing in her head. "Your daddy is nothing but a two-bit criminal and your mom probably killed herself to get away from both him and you, you psycho bitch!" Normally things like that didn't even register with Claire-Ann, but today had been a particularly rough day and she just snapped. She looked down and was actually surprised to see all the blood that was on her hands and shirt. She didn't really remember tackling Sarah and beating her, but judging from how sore her hands were and how busted up they got too, she guessed that she really did a number on her. A smirk played across her lips. Good. Sarah had it coming.

Jake perked up a bit as he stayed kneeling in front of Claire-Ann and he winced a little. "Sounds like the cops are coming, Claire-Ann. Maybe we should get you cleaned up and out of here."

A small laugh escaped the bloody girl's lips. "No thanks, Jake. I'm okay with staying right here."

The cops were on scene about a minute later making people move so that the paramedics could get to Sarah. Someone pointed to where Claire-Ann and the boys were and two cops made their way over to the trio. One of them recognized Claire-Ann and cursed to himself. He'd have to call Jimmy when they got back to the station or risk getting a beating of his own. The cops did not formally arrest Claire-Ann, but they did pick her up off the floor and led her out to the car before taking her to the precinct and locking her in a small holding cell.

Claire-Ann laughed quietly to herself. "Jimmy's gonna love this." she murmured before sitting down and waiting for her uncle to come get her. She recognized that cop too and knew he'd call Jimmy first thing, and to be honest. She didn't really care.

It only took Jimmy about an hour to get to his niece and by the time he was led to the cell she was in, he was pissed. "Claire-Ann Maria Titulo, have you lost your damn mind?" That was one of the few times Jimmy had ever cursed at Claire-Ann or even used her full name for that matter. "You better have a brilliant reason for what you did or your father and Henry will both wring your neck." He motioned for the guard to open the cell and after gathering Claire-Ann's personal belongings he took her to his black Jag and started the long drive to the Titulo estate.

It was a long and quiet drive to the edge of the city where Claire-Ann's childhood home was. She hadn't been there since school started, of course with the apartment that her father gave her in the city there was no reason for her to go there at all. The more she thought about it, the more Claire-Ann realized that she hadn't seen Henry since early May. He still had to take care of her father's business and his own family. Henry O'Connor had been a part of the Irish Mob when he was a teenager, but Claire-Ann's grandfather got stuck with him because he had been causing more trouble than he was worth. Nathaniel straightened him out alright, and after Markus befriended him, Henry climbed the ranks rather quickly. Claire-Ann always was told that Henry pulled Markus out of the water when he slipped off of their boat during a fishing trip and that's why Henry became Markus's business partner. It was a lie of course. Henry took a bullet for Markus during a firefight. He nearly died. Claire-Ann shook her head some and just kept staring out the window.

Jimmy kept glancing over at Claire-Ann, gripping the steering wheel tightly and then relaxing it every couple of seconds. Finally he sighed. "So are you going to tell me what the hell happened? Or do I have to guess?"

Claire-Ann couldn't help but smirk some. It was an old game they used to play. She would hide something behind her back when she was little and he would ask her _Well are you going to tell me what you have? Or do I have to guess?_ It worked with just about anything. Now was no exception really. "You're good at guessing." Claire-Ann said after awhile. Her voice was soft, but not weak. Never weak. The familiar response felt good on her tongue and eased her mood a little. She even looked over at Jimmy and gave a shadow of her normal smile.

Uncle Jimmy eased a little more and looked her over. He had been so angry he hadn't even checked to see if she was okay. There was blood on her shirt and hands, but her green eyes were clear so it didn't look like she had been doing drugs or anything. Her dark brown hair was a bit of a mess as it hung down to her collarbone. "They didn't let you get cleaned up I see. I could sue them if you like." Jimmy said, trying to lighten the mood a little. On top of being one of Claire-Ann's favorite people, he was also the family lawyer. Jimmy always blamed himself for getting Markus put away, but Claire-Ann never did. She even told him so the night after the jury found her father guilty.

The girl laughed a little and shook her head some. "Nah. It's okay. I figure showing up looking like hell, plus the look on Uncle Henry's face will just make the lecture I'm bound to get worth it." Claire-Ann finally relaxed back in her seat all the way and let out a breath. "You haven't guessed yet."

"Well from the looks of things, you got into a fight." Jimmy said, looking back out at the road. "But it doesn't look like you lost. Your hands aren't broken are they? That could make classes a bit difficult."

Claire-Ann flexed her hands a little and rubbed them before shaking them out a little. "No, they're not broken. I've been keeping an eye on them." If she broke her hands that would make taking notes in her classes very nearly impossible, and most of her classes involved a lot of writing. Came with being an English major with a Creative Writing minor.

Jimmy nodded a little. "So it was a fight. Who with? Or do I have to guess that too?"

A smirk played across Claire-Ann's face yet again. "You're still good at guessing. Of course you could always wait until after we get to the house and watch Uncle Henry explode, then listen to the story with him so I don't have to tell it twice."

"I'm a lawyer, Claire-Ann. It's my job to be nosy. And it's also my job to take care of you which is why I am so flabbergasted that you actually got into a fight with someone. What were you thinking, seriously? I mean, geez, you're going to be in so much trouble that even I won't be able to help you out." Jimmy shook his head and tightened his grip on the steering wheel again. "Fortunately for you I am nosy though and I found out about Sarah Newman and agreed to pay her hospital bills and added a little extra so she wouldn't press charges or tell her parents, who lucky for you, don't even live in the state."

Claire-Ann just shrugged. "She pissed me off alright? She got what she deserved." Her tone was matter of fact and didn't have a trace of remorse. For a second Jimmy was reminded of Markus when he would close a business deal. Claire-Ann looked over at her uncle, emerald eyes void of any kind of emotion. "I'd do it again, just so you know." Jimmy shook his head a little and smirked. "Of that I have no doubt." he said and kept driving.

Jimmy and Claire-Ann soon arrived at the estate and made their way to Henry's office. There was something going on though. Men had been posted at the gates with some rifles and there were a lot of grunts hanging around. Everyone looked on edge and a weight settled on Claire-Ann's chest. This was bad. This was very bad. The last time there had been this many people, Markus had just gone to jail and rivals were trying to take advantage of the power vacuum. Henry had a lot to prove then, and prove it he did. It was bloody for a long time and Claire-Ann could not go anywhere without a guard dog. Dread trickled down her spine like ice water. She did not want to go through that again. Claire-Ann had been on her own for a month; not that long in reality, but the taste of freedom had been so sweet. She would be damned if she was going to have it taken away. Claire-Ann steeled herself, her eyes going cold and draining of all emotion, her posture straightening and her hands clenching into fists by her side. The lawyer noted the change in his niece and inwardly braced himself. Claire-Ann had her father's temper and stubbornness, and Henry, well Henry was Irish through and through. It was going to be one hell of a fight.

After climbing the winding oak staircase, Jimmy move down the familiar path to the study where Henry now spent the majority of the time. Claire-Ann's dread had been well founded. The fights were starting up again. Nothing major just yet so the media hadn't caught wind of it, but it would only be a matter of time. Henry ordered everyone to steer clear of Claire-Ann to keep her safe, but given the fight she just got into that was probably about to change.

The closer the pair got to the closed door of the study, the more they came to realize that someone was shouting. The words were garbled, but the tone was unmistakable. Whoever it was, was pissed off. Jimmy put a hand Claire-Ann's shoulder to stop her from knocking and motioned for her stay quiet. It wasn't Henry yelling, but someone else. Claire-Ann shot Jimmy a confused look because she did not recognize the voice, her curiosity overpowering her dread for the moment. She thought she knew all of the people in her father's business. The fact that a stranger was yelling, probably at her Uncle Henry, pissed her off a little and yet it intrigued her. Henry didn't take shit from very many people. When Claire-Ann was a kid she had seen Henry slam another enforcer against a wall because he insulted Henry. The only thing that prevented the guy from getting an ass kicking was the fact that Claire-Ann was in the same room. The muffled voice got louder for a moment and said something that sounded like "That pretty daughter of his." All at once there was a loud banging noise; not like a gunshot, but more like someone slamming their hands on a desk.

"That'll be enough out of ye right now!" A deep, booming voice shouted. The Irish accent made thicker by rage was a sign that it was Henry yelling. Claire-Ann honestly jumped at the sound of his voice. After a month of not hearing it at all, the shout was a bit of a shock. Everything on the other side of the door went silent as the grave. Faint shuffling sounds could be heard and then a low mumbling started. Jimmy and Claire-Ann traded a look and each raised an eyebrow at the other. They continued to wait for a little longer before movement was heard again and the door knob started to turn. Claire-Ann stood and watched the door open, her face becoming emotionless in less than a second.

The first man that stepped out was one of Henry's enforcers. Claire-Ann couldn't remember his name, but she had seen him around enough. The second man was a stranger though. He had dirty blonde hair that was slicked back and a face that could have been handsome had his nose not been obviously broken sometime in his past. Blondie had hazel eyes, and a strong chin. Rings sparkled from his fingers and his suit was perfectly tailored. He hadn't been given whatever power he had though. Claire-Ann could tell that much. He had been a grunt like Henry once; the scars on his knuckles, his nose, and the fighter's build that was barely visible under the suit gave that away. For a moment the stranger's eyes met Claire-Ann's. A shiver ran through the girl, one that she was luckily able to hide. Those brown/green eyes reminded Claire-Ann of a snake. A cold blooded predator. This guy was definitely trouble.

An icy smile formed on his face as he looked Claire-Ann up and down, taking in the blood and otherwise disheveled appearance of the girl that was obviously Titulo's daughter. "Got yourself a real scrapper here, eh, Jimmy?" Blondie said, turning to the Titulo lawyer. "Must take after her old man."

"What are you doing here, Donovan? Thought we already made ourselves clear. No deal." Jimmy said as he slipped into lawyer mode, his tone smooth and business like, but there was an edge to it. Not fear, but certainly some sort of caution.

Claire-Ann had seen enough bosses to recognize one, and the name Donovan was seriously ringing a bell, but she couldn't put her finger on why. She studied the man while he spoke to Jimmy and just kept her mouth shut. Claire-Ann may have had a temper like her father but she was also no fool.

Donovan turned his attention back to Claire-Ann and gave her what was probably a charming smile to most young women. Claire-Ann just politely smiled back. Donovan chuckled some and held out his hand to the young lady. "Donovan Jennings, at your service, ma'am." He said.

Claire-Ann gave an indulging laugh and showed him her bloody hands. "I would, but I'd hate to get your hands dirty." It was a polite tone, but the glint in her dark green eyes and the knowing smirk behind her smile told the man that she knew he was very used to getting blood on his hands. The last name was what made her remember him. Jennings was one of her father's top competitors. A violent and intelligent man, not unlike her father or Uncle Henry, but he didn't share their scruples in certain areas.

Donovan's eyes flashed in irritation, but his smirk only became more pronounced. "I see." He said smoothly. "Well we can chat another time, Ms. Titulo, I'm sure."

"Don't bet on it, Mr. Jennings." Henry said as he moved to his niece's side, and put a massive hand on her shoulder. "She'll be having nothing to do with any of this. I assure you." Henry motioned to the enforcer behind Jennings. "Show Mr. Jennings with way out, Tommy. I have some other business to attend to." He squeezed Claire-Ann's shoulder a little, a subtle sign that she was in no way off the hook for the fight.

Tommy nodded and waited for Jennings to turn before he escorted the rival crime boss to the door. Henry turned his attentions back to his niece and his eyes grew angry. "You really have lost your mind haven't you?" He growled, his Irish accent very thick still. As Claire-Ann was about to speak, Henry raised a hand to silence her. "Clean up first. We will talk later."

Claire-Ann looked into Henry's eyes for a moment and from the look, she knew better than to argue with him. She just nodded and went to her room so she could clean up. She figured Jimmy would fill Henry in on what happened, and Henry would freak out on her and try and stick her with a baby sitter to keep her out of trouble. The thought made Claire-Ann cringe as she washed the blood off her hands and changed her shirt. She even washed her face and brushed her hair for good measure.

After she looked presentable again, she went back to the office and looked around. Once upon a time, this had been her favorite room in the house. When she was a child, her father would bring her here and they would sit in his big chair and she would "help" him fill out paperwork and sign documents. All of the trophies and knick knacks on the walls and shelves greeted her like old friends and the books called to her like old lovers begging for another chance. Her gaze wandered all over the book shelves. She had read through every single one of them at one point in her life or another. They had been her rainy day companions, her vicarious adventures, the loves that she could have had if her heart had not been hardened to such fairy tales. For a moment she allowed herself to dream that things were how they used to be: bright, fun, happy. Claire-Ann's eyes finally moved to her father's chair and for the briefest of seconds, she thought he was the one sitting in the chair. Blinking however brought her back to reality.

Henry stared at his niece from the chair that really belonged to his best friend. His heart ached for the girl as he took note of the dreaming look in her eyes. She very rarely allowed herself to miss her father, he knew that. Claire-Ann thought she had to be tough and that she couldn't allow herself to feel anything. It broke his heart to see the sweet little girl that she used to be fade away into the cynical, near grown up that Claire-Ann had become. No one spoke as she made her way to the chair in front of the desk. Markus's blank, icy eyes watched Henry through his daughter as she sat down and waited for the inevitable lecture. The Irishman finally cleared his throat. "Alright, Claire-Ann. Let's have it. What the hell happened?"

Claire-Ann shrugged some and looked down at her busted knuckles and calloused fingertips. Slowly she started to tell him how her day started. There had been a letter from her father waiting for her in her mailbox. Another one of his apologies that always put her in a less that pretty mood. Then her classes had been particularly brutal because she couldn't really focus, only worsening her mood. Her only high point had been having lunch with Desmond and Jake. Desmond of course was with his girlfriend though and didn't really pay much attention to her, which she was fine with. Claire-Ann wasn't in a chatting mood anyway. Jake must have known that because he didn't say a word. He just sat beside her and kept giving her reassuring glances whenever their eyes happened to meet. It was actually kind of nice, but Jake always had a weird way of calming her down. Not that she mentioned that part to her Uncles. She went on to talk about the rest of her classes going by in kind of a blur, then came Sarah and her little entourage.

Sarah Newman had gone to high school with Claire-Ann and Desmond so she knew all about Claire-Ann's seedy family history. That day Sarah had been feeling particularly bulletproof, probably because of her new boyfriend, but Claire-Ann didn't know about him. All Claire-Ann knew was that something made Sarah pick today to make her comment. She had to pause in her story to take a breath and force herself to stay steady. "You know what she said to me? The thing that started all of this." Claire-Ann shook her head some and clenched her hands into fists. "Your daddy is nothing but a two-bit criminal and your mom probably killed herself to get away from both him and you, you psycho bitch." The Titulo heiress whispered through her clenched jaw.

Henry's eyes flashed in rage, but James Sanders actually went pale due to the white hot anger that rushed through him. He was able to keep it under control though. He had to. There was no way Claire-Ann could know that Jimmy was actually her biological uncle. Her mother had been his younger sister and she didn't commit suicide. Amberlyn had been sick for a very long time. No matter how good the doctors were, no matter how much money Markus threw at his wife's illness, it kept getting worse. Finally, she got well enough to entertain the idea of having a family of her own with Markus. They both knew it would be a great risk, but they both felt a child would be worth it. When Amberlyn conceived Claire-Ann, Markus was filled with joy. Images of a son that he could teach and connect with passed through his mind every waking moment. His wife warned him not to get his heart set on a boy though.

The first six months of the pregnancy went as they should. Both the mother and child were doing wonderfully and Amberlyn finally allowed herself to relax and dream that everything would be okay. Then the seventh month, something went wrong. Jimmy clenched the arm of his chair as he saw his baby sister clutch her stomach and scream in pain. Markus panicked and held his wife, trying to calm her as Jimmy called an ambulance. Amberlyn screamed again and started to bleed profusely. "My baby!" She cried out. "No! My baby!" The rest of the night passed in a blur. Markus, Jimmy, and Henry waited for the doctor to give them news of Amberlyn and the baby. Titulo was beside himself with anxiety and guilt. He felt responsible for all of this because he wanted a family too. It didn't matter that Amberlyn was the one that instigated the love making that night. It didn't matter that she kept saying she would be okay. What mattered was the fact that she was in the hospital now and Markus could lose everything he ever loved.

Seconds seemed like hours, minutes like days, hours like months. When the doctor came out to see Markus, his face was grim. "Mr. Titulo, I'm sorry, we did everything within our power, but your wife didn't make it." Everything the doctor said after that was white noise to both Jimmy and Markus. Henry was the only one actually listening to the doctor at that time, and he grew relieved when he learned that the baby made it at least. He asked for a moment alone with his friends to console them and turned his attention to the two weeping men. O'Connor put a hand on his best friend's shoulder. "Mark." he said quietly. "Markus, the baby made it."

Markus looked up at the Irishman, his lost looking brown eyes filled with tears. "What?" he said quietly. "The baby… The baby made it?"

Henry nodded and gave the man's shoulder a soft pat. "Yeah. Doc said it's a girl. You have a daughter, Markus."

Jimmy was only kind of listening, but part of him felt relieved that he had a niece. At least they both still had a part of Amberlyn with them.

"You guys take a second okay?" Henry said. "I'll go see her." Markus stood up though and shook his head. "No. No, I should be the one to see her." Henry watched his best friend closely. "Are you sure?" The grief stricken man shook his head. "No, I'm not, but it's still my responsibility. Amber.." His voice cracked and he had to take a breath. "Amberlyn would have wanted me to check on our daughter."

Henry nodded and stepped aside to allow his friend to pass. He stayed with Jimmy while Markus asked a nurse to take him to the NICU to see the baby. She was a tiny baby laying on her back in an incubator with tubes coming from her nose and arms. Markus felt his heart break all over again just watching her fight even to cry. "I'm sorry, baby." he whispered. "I'm so sorry." A nurse came to check on him and dressed him in scrubs so he could at least enter the room to see her. "Do you have a name picked out, Mr. Titulo?" she asked him softly while he reached through one of the hand holes to lightly touch his daughter's hand. It took him a long time to answer that. "Claire-Ann Maria." Markus answered finally. "That's her name."

That night they agreed that if Claire-Ann made it they would never speak of Amberlyn. They didn't want Claire-Ann to blame herself for her mother's death. Her mother just kind of went away is what they told her all this time. Jimmy ached to tell her the truth, Markus did too, but he feared the repercussions from doing so. The lawyer closed his eyes and took another breath to steady himself, forcing all of the pain back to its box that he created for it and looked at his niece. She reminded him so much of his beloved sister, the way she moved, her love for music, the color of her hair, the way she laughed. Claire-Ann eased the pain of Amberlyn's passing in so many ways for both him and Markus.

Claire-Ann took a breath and looked to Jimmy and tilted her head a bit as she saw the look he was giving her. "Uncle Jimmy? You okay?" she asked, sort of trying to turn the attention away from her for now.

Henry looked to Jimmy and caught the look in his eyes. He sympathized with his friend and gave him a barely noticeable look that said as much. Jimmy just cleared his throat some and nodded. "Yeah, Claire-Ann, I'm fine. You on the other hand are still in trouble. You know we're going to have to tell your father. He needs to know."

The spitting image of Amberlyn snorted some. "No he doesn't. He's got enough going on. It was just a stupid fight. It won't happen again, I swear." Claire-Ann said, looking between her Uncles. "I won't fight anymore. Can I just go back to my apartment? Please?"

The Irishman nodded. "Sure you can. With an escort." Claire-Ann's eyes blazed. "No way!" She yelled, jerking to her feet. "I don't need a babysitter!" Henry stood up too and pinned Claire-Ann with a fiery gaze of his own. "Apparently you do otherwise you wouldn't be fighting." He said through clenched teeth. "In case you haven't picked up on it, Claire-Ann, we have quite a bit going on around her, and I can't afford you getting into trouble like this again. You're getting a bodyguard and that is final."

"No I'm not, Henry! It's not fair! I'm nineteen, I can take care of myself!" Claire-Ann said. "I won didn't I? She's the one in the hospital not me!"

Jimmy sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "You can win a fight against a hundred pound blonde, Claire-Ann, good for you. She's not some bruiser looking to kill you. I'm with Henry on this. You need a bodyguard, just until things blow over."

Betrayal and rage flashed across Claire-Ann's face as she turned on Jimmy and then looked back to Henry. "You know I'll ditch whoever you send. I've done it before and I'll do it again. And if something is going on then you'll need all your best guys working for you, not trying to keep track of me."

Amusement went through Henry's brown eyes. Girl had a point. Then again she did most of the time. Probably why she was considering following Jimmy's footsteps and becoming a lawyer herself. There was an extremely long pause before Henry finally sat back down and motioned for Claire-Ann to do the same. "Alright." he said finally. "You've got a point, and I'll let you off the hook this once. But if something happens again, you're getting a twenty four-seven body guard. Are we clear?"

Claire-Ann quelled the victory that began to build in her chest. "Crystal." she said lightly. Henry smirked and shook his head before getting up again and pulling Claire-Ann into a bear hug. "Alright. Now go back to your apartment. You've got school tomorrow." Claire-Ann smiled and hugged her Uncle back. "Yes sir."

"Try not to give me grey hair, huh? I've got enough problems without having to deal with you being a trouble maker." Henry said good naturedly as he ruffled his niece's hair. Claire-Ann laughed it off and Jimmy stood too. "Alright, I'll take you home, kid." he said and soon he and his niece were on the way back to her apartment. They actually had a nice chat this time and she leaned over to kiss her Uncle's cheek. "Night, Uncle Jimmy. Thanks for the ride." Claire-Ann said before gathering her stuff to get out. "I'll see you later." Jimmy waved at her and waited until she was in the building before driving away.

Claire-Ann walked out of the elevator and took out her key as she walked to her door. She blinked when she saw a familiar form standing by her door. "Jake? What are you doing here?" she asked, her voice puzzled.

Jake blinked and smiled over at her. "Oh I was just stopping by to make sure you got home okay." he said lightly. "How are you feeling?"

Claire-Ann kept walking towards him and shrugged. "Been better, but I've been worse too. Want some coffee?"

The boy was about to answer, but then his face went pale. He tried to call out a warning, but Claire-Ann already turned to see what he was looking at. The blow came fast and hard. Claire-Ann got knocked to the ground by the blow and she sort of felt another hit to her back. It déjà vu from earlier; that same underwater feeling came over her. She could sort of hear the sound of guys shouting in pain, and an almost animal like roar. Claire-Ann tried to open her eyes to see what was going on, but it was no use. Slowly darkness started to wrap around her like one of Henry's hugs. She was vaguely aware of someone calling her name, but she couldn't tell who it was. It didn't really matter who it was though, the voice got farther and farther away until only silence and blackness remained.


End file.
